The opening round of the lower bracket at VALORANT Champions 2025 saw two huge elimination matches occur and delivered high drama as DRX and Heretics pulled off crucial wins to stay alive. G2 and GIANTX, despite their earlier runs and expectations, are now out of the tournament. DRX had lost a close-fought series against FNC to end up here, while G2 had faced the narrowest of losses against PRX. On the other hand, GX had been dominated by NRG in their last game while MIBR did the same thing to Heretics; both Americas teams finding 2-0s to set up the upper semifinal.
DRX vs G2 — DRX Stuns G2 in Long-Fought Series
In Lower Round 1, DRX squared off against G2 Esports with elimination on the line. The vetoes saw G2 banning Haven, DRX banning Sunset. G2 then picked Lotus, DRX picked Abyss; G2 banned Ascent, DRX banned Corrode, and this left Bind as the decider.
Map 1 — Lotus: G2 win 13-7
G2 opened the series on their map pick Lotus and immediately imposed pressure on their attack. With jawgemo’s crucial entries and the whole team’s clean site-takes and post-plants, G2 ended the first half ahead with a dominant 8-4 lead. After the switch, DRX tried to gain their tempo back. G2, however, continued to pop off, and despite DRX catching up to 7-10, G2 did not let them win another round and the Americas representatives took map one 13-7.
On Lotus, jawgemo stood out. He had the highest ACS on the server by far with 365, six first kills, and a kill differential of +15. His impact on the Yoru and consistent frags ensured G2 were always in an advantageous position and won the map.
Map 2 — Abyss: DRX win 13-10
DRX answered back on Abyss. Their strong prep for the map was clear, as the Korean squad found themselves up to an insane 8-1 lead on their attacking side, thanks to their Waylay/Yoru comp that G2 did not seem to be able to hold against. The first half saw DRX end with a clean 8-4 lead. In the second half, G2 tried to mount a comeback, winning six straight rounds to take the lead at 10-8, but DRX reassessed and won the next five rounds to take the map 13-10 and push things to a decider. DRX won with a 3K retake from HYUNMIN.
For DRX, their double-duelists kept the heat on G2 with HYUNMIN being the map MVP on Abyss. His entries, multi-kills, and high ACS turned multiple tight rounds in the first half. Both him and Flashback dominated the stats board: together they had 52 frags, seven first kills, and a +22 kill differential.
Image credit: Riot Games
Map 3 — Bind: DRX win 13-7
In the decider, DRX dominated on their defensive side with a double controller/double duelist setup. Their Brim and Viper were major deterrants and combined with the aggressive plays by Waylay and Yoru again, DRX found a massive 10-2 lead at the half. After the side swap, G2 tried to fight back, winning rounds to bring the score to 12-7. However, DRX were too close to their goal, and one more round win led to a 13-7 finish and DRX staying alive, eliminating G2 from Champions.
MaKo emerged as the standout on Bind on Brim, with an ACS of 261, three first kills, and a +11 kill differential. He anchored DRX on the decider with clutch presence in attack and defense, as well as strong util combined with freeing’s Viper. Across all maps, MaKo was also clearly the series MVP. He kept DRX in control in many rounds, and his consistency under pressure made the difference in this elimination match, especially on Bind. For G2, jawgemo had the highest ACS on the entire server, as well as 15 first kills, but DRX looked better as a team.
Heretics vs GIANTX — EMEA’s Cinderella Story Ends
The second elimination matchup of the lower bracket had Team Heretics going up against fellow EMEA rep GIANTX. While Heretics had qualified off of consistency and circuit points, GX were here after an incredible lower bracket run. The map veto saw GIANTX ban Corrode, while Heretics banned Abyss. GIANTX chose Ascent; Heretics picked Lotus; and Bind was left as the decider.
Map 1 — Ascent: Heretics win 13-4
Heretics started strong on Ascent, rocking the Yoru/Jett, and on defense, pushed to an 8-4 lead. The first half was competitive, but Heretics edged ahead through better control of mid areas and effective crossfires. After the side swap, Heretic’s attacking side looked flawless, winning five rounds in a row to close the map with a perfect attacking side to take map one 13-4.
RieNs on Sova lit up Ascent. He scored a dominant 23/8 K/D with an ACS of 350, showing up round after round with both kills and util. He had one 4K and four 3Ks on the map.
Map 2 — Lotus: GIANTX win 13-3
Heretics picked Lotus next, but despite this being their opponent’s pick, GX looked to be the ones dominating. Heretics started off okay with a 3-2 lead, but this is where things started to go wrong for them. GX won one round, then another, and continued to build up momentum that eventually saw the first half end dominantly in their favor at 9-3. After the sideswap, GX continued to push hard on defense, turning the second half into a rout to close out the map 13-3.
Ara, Flickless, and westside were the key players in terms of raw frags, topping the scoreboard for GX. Westside in particular was a menace with his lurks. Overall, every single GX player went positive in terms of stats, while none of the Heretics players managed the same feat.
Image credit: Riot Games
Map 3 — Bind: Heretics win 13-9
The decider was more back and forth, with both teams consistently trading rounds. GIANTX began on attack and grabbed several rounds early, even leading 5-2 at one point. Heretics recovered in the tail end of the half though, and locked in key rounds, ending only 7-5 in GX’s favor.
After the half, Heretics’ composure and clutch round play saw them tie things up at 7-7 before GX took the lead back at 9-7. They then went on to showcase a flawless defense setup with clean retake protocols that won them the next six rounds in a row to win the map 13-7 and move on in the lower bracket, while eliminating GX from VALORANT Champions.
MiniBoo on Waylay was the standout on Bind for Heretics. His 243 ACS was among the highest in the match, and his constant pressure kept GX on their toes. Across the series, RieNs and Miniboo are the clear MVPs in terms of not just raw damage but also the amount of map control and consistency their antics provided Heretics. For GX, Flickless had the best stats, right behind MiniBoo’s.
Next up at VALORANT Champions: Upper Bracket Semis
With G2 and GIANTX now eliminated, the upcoming matches roll on to the upper bracket semifinals: Paper Rex vs Fnatic and MIBR vs NRG, which will see the winners guarantee themselves a top-three finish. Paper Rex and Fnatic are facing each other after the trophy match at Masters Toronto where PRX beat them 3-1. MIBR and NRG have battled in VCT Americas before, with NRG winning their lasttwo faceoffs and overall having a 2-2 record vs them in VCT events.
Zahk plays and watches a lot of video games, especially Valorant, when she’s home, and travels the world the rest of the time, usually a book in hand. She loves telling stories, coffee, and living life like an adventure.
